"When they attended conferences, many of them tuned out of the talks – I used to count the nodding heads of sleeping audience members, frequently reaching double figures. They looked forward most to the coffee breaks and post-event pints. Wanting connection is a common reason people give for arriving at these groups, and also what makes it hard for them to leave, even if they’re not enjoying themselves."
#HarryShukman, 2025
(1/2)
So ... does ostracizing people with regressive views encourage them to change their mind, or does it push them further down the rabbit hole? Could it be that every time the liberal left cancel someone, they're effectively doing the far right's recruitment for them?
(2/2)
The puritanism of the cancel reflex;
"My online trans community had extremely mixed feelings about my public participation in the Democratic campaign. I received daily messages expressing their disappointment and distrust of me. On the eve of the election, there was a brief, unsuccessful movement to cancel me on Tumblr. I’m pretty sure there are still some trans women out there who still have me blocked because of my association with the campaign"
#BethanyKarsten, 2025
https://thetransfemininereview.com/2025/05/18/are-we-still-free/
"I understood it, then.
I hadn’t seen a choice when I began campaigning for Kamala Harris. But there were thousands of progressive voters in this election who never got a ticket in the 2024 democratic process at all.
They had already lifted their voices for the people of Palestine. And then they were silenced."
#BethanyKarsten, 2025
https://thetransfemininereview.com/2025/05/18/are-we-still-free/
Exactly.
"I remember when the US fell into fascism" is not a story I want to tell my grandchildren. I know there are millions in the US who are already fighting back, and many more who want to, but don't know how yet.
There are billions more outside the US who support you. How can we help?
For the first time, I think of Orwell going to Spain to shoot as many fascists as possible, and wonder if my lifelong pacifism is really so noble. Will I be brave enough to follow his example if it comes to that?
I could have given them utopia and talked about me and cool shit.
Instead I talked about systems and abuses of those who seek to govern the information space. I discussed the contrast of positive radicalization that I experienced from culture and creative ideas.
And so my ego still feels a little fragile, as such truths (no matter how expressed) contain friction.
So thanks for reiterating the necessity
This made me think of both The Handmaid's Tale and the V for Vendetta movie;
"I’m moving to Canada in a few months. My gap year is almost over.
My library of trans fiction, one of the largest in North America, will be coming with me. I’ll be continuing my studies toward a Masters in Feminist and Gender Studies; I will keep reading, and keep writing, and keep advocating for the trans writers in my community, both in America and around the world."
#BethanyKarsten, 2025
https://thetransfemininereview.com/2025/05/18/are-we-still-free/
Looks interesting, bookmarked for an interesting listen.
This is a bonfire demo instance for testing purposes
